DKLAZ
Our desert heat takes it's toll on batteries. Don't listen to people who live in another part of the country. I have never gotten more then 20 months out of a battery out here in the desert and I ride my bike everyday. Even when it's 118-120 I ride to work. My guess is it's your battery. But one quick test will tell you.
Disconnect your negitive wire from your battery, put a test light on the battery and the other end on the neg. wire. If the test light, lights up you have a draw on the system. If you have a draw on the system let me know and I will tell you how to go about tracing it out.
Danny

Going down below freezing 5 months out of the year is good on a Battery? Heck I rode mine through the ice and snow to work, let it sit in Cleveland Ohio for 5 days in the snow and cold in the employee parking lot, came out at about 5am and 15 degrees and it started right up. Around here the even sell battery heaters. Some people with older cars even bring the battery in for the night to keep it warm.

In the heat of July on our 3000 mile trip it like was above 90 almost every day. Running the parkways we shut down and re started at least 100 times a day for 3 days. Not a problem.

I think heat and cold is a wash.

MS1700
Though you may think it is a wash it's not. You can not compare 90 temps to 118-122 degree days. We have had as much as 143 days straight with temps over 100 degrees. My friend you have no idea what desert heat can do. Cold will keep things fresh, heat will boil stuff to death.

Sorry but unless you live here you have no clue!!!!!!

After living in Lake Havasu City, where it regularly gets above 125 for days on end, I never had a bike battery last more than 3 years. Car batterys don't fare much better. You will see the sides start to bulge and you know it's days are numbered.

Paul

I guess my years in the Marines taking the photos of the F18's at Yuma,Az. doesn't count heh? We got around base on Military Desert Rats and 3 wheelers that always started with the key. I can dig up some pics for ya. And yea we used to ride the desert with them too, and you know what happens out there if you don't start. I have no idea?

Now we are talking 1981 I think battery's would have come a long way since then. So his bike should start and his battery should last 3 years anyhow.

Now I ask.
Why is a battery tested Cold?
"Battery power rating is measured by two standards. The more popular of these, cold cranking power, determines the amount of current (amps) a battery delivers for 30 seconds at zero degrees Fahrenheit while maintaining a minimum terminal voltage of 7.2 volts. The higher the number, the stronger the battery. Think of those old Die hard commercials, with all those non-Sears batteries giving up the ghost in the cold and snow, and this will perhaps give you a visual image." Found here.
http://tinyurl.com/Cold-Batterys
(The second standard has nothing to do with heat by the way.)

So according to the standards by which a battery is rated, It's cold that is more harsh on a battery not heat. Never seen a commercial where the start a car at 120 degrees and say buy this battery!

Here is something to consider.

"If you keep having electrical problems (battery dies, car won't start, power is intermittent or weak), it's not necessarily the battery. It could be in the charging system, normally either a bad alternator or voltage regulator. A mechanic can test the system to isolate the problem."

So maybe your rectifier is bad or for some reason maybe a connection, and your battery is being discharged while riding and then won't start? Or back to bad connections, Clean every connection from the battery to the starter. Light coat of dielectric (Bulb Grease) is good.

I have a pretty advanced Battery charger, You hook it up and it can do diagnostics, tell charging, volts, and even if it has a bad ground or dead cell. Maybe time to get one? I think its by Vector.


Now, the Morning I started this after sitting in Cleveland with single digit lows that night, THATS a battery test! Then I rode it 50 some miles home.

Hey MS so you spent some time in Yuma Hey?? How long? You can argue the point all you want and you can put all the stats you want but it doesn't change a dam thing. I have lived out here for 55 years so I guess I have a good idea of what I'm talking about. Yes batteries are tested cold. We are not talking about cold cranking amps here. DKLAZ asked about a battery out here lasting only 27 months.Fact is people like you and others answer when you have no clue. Fact is batteries out here don't last long. Just like paint doesn't last long in this sun. Just like tires don't last due to excessive road heat on the rubber. These are simple facts of life living here. I have had some batteries in my bikes only last 1 year especially in the R* with it's weak charging system! The R* charging system sucks at best! Add to that small main wiring causing resistence. There are a lot of variables.

So in the end when I told DKLAZ to disconnect his neg. cable and test for a draw on the system that was the smart thing to do. That would tell him if he did have a draw on his battery. HIS QUESTION WAS on batteries and the ARIZONA HEAT. I said it before and I will say for the last time you don't live here so don't try and answer based on what you think! Base it on real life events that happen to us out here!! I wouldn't even attempt to tell you how to winterize your bike! Winter? What is that?? Oh that must be the time we can really get out and ride cause it has cooled off some!!!

OK, so make sure you don't have anything making a draw on the battery, if you do, that will cause it to die often. Also, if you buy a NEW battery, get one with a 36 month replacement warranty (Wally world) and if it fails because of what ever reason before the 36 months are up, they will give you a NEW one with another 36 months of warranty. Keep replacing them for as long as you own your bike. All's well that ends well! (I did that with my boat for a long time)

FYI, I live in the cold, but I did live in the Mohave desert for almost 3 1/2 years, with average summer temps over 100 every day. And I did see it snow there once.

Now, back to your corners everyone....

I miss being able to ride 350 days a year and never get wet or cold......

Paul

Keep it friendly fellas.......... BB